The Detroit Lions have issued their required unofficial depth chart ahead of Friday night’s preseason matchup with the Falcons in Atlanta. All teams are obligated to release a depth chart for every game, though the accuracy of those depth charts can vary from team to team, depending on who fills them out and how seriously the team cares about it.
For the Lions, the unofficial depth chart looks very realistic, based on the injury statuses and how reps have been divvied up in practices over the last week. This is the depth chart, courtesy of the Detroit Lions media relations:
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This is a general depth chart for the team, not specific for the Falcons matchup on Friday night. The only first-team player listed here who might see any action at all is guard Tate Ratledge, and the second-round rookie’s reps figure to be limited.
Based on practice reps and performances, there are really only a couple of discrepancies deeper down the chart. Defensive back Erick Hallett is listed as the third-team safety, but Hallett has consistently repped ahead of both Loren Strickland and Morice Norris. However, some of that work from Hallett has come at cornerback or nickelback, so in that context, having Hallett behind Strickland and Norris at safety isn’t really wrong. Dan Jackson’s injury has shaken that up, too.
The other obvious questionable listing also involves the secondary and an injury. It’s been rare to find Ennis Rakestraw healthy enough to practice, and now his most recent injury — a shoulder injury suffered Monday night — will keep the second-year cornerback sidelined for some time. Even before that most recent injury, Rakestraw was consistently repping behind Rock Ya-Sin, who had all but wrapped up the No. 3 outside CB role even if Rakestraw were on the field. Note that Ya-Sin has also seen some trial reps at safety in the wake of Jackson’s injury.
Expect a considerable amount of reps for the players listed here on the third and fourth lines on Friday night as the Lions provide those players with a chance to get NFL reps and further sort out the bottom of the depth chart.
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Detroit Lions depth chart breakdown for preseason game vs. Falcons